Blink
by serenityrayne417
Summary: It's amazing what can happen in the blink of an eye.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Italics denote a flashback.**_

**Callie**

The first thing I'm aware of is the pain. There is not a single part of my body that doesn't hurt. I begin to open my eyes and immediately slam them shut. It's bright; too bright.

"Callie? Callie, can you hear me?"

I'm so tired.

"Can you open your eyes, hun?"

I can't talk. No matter how much I will myself to speak I cannot get my lips to form the words running through my head. Just as well: I don't think I have a single coherent thing to say at the moment. I'm so confused and I'm in so much pain…

Wait. Stef.

I try to open my eyes again and this time I manage to see through the narrow slits of my eyelids. I try to speak but all that comes out are unintelligible whimpers and grunts.

"Don't try to speak, hun." I hear as well as somebody patting my hand.

"Sss…ssst…" I try to hiss out. Nobody says anything in reply. I can see a little better now and I'm aware of the number of doctors and nurses surrounding me. They're poking and prodding and speaking over each other. It's loud and confusing.

Everything _hurts_.

And suddenly I remember what's going on; how I got here. My memory gives me a little adrenaline boost and I weekly try to push myself off of the bed, but a nurse pushes me back down.

"Don't try to move, hun," she tells me in a gentle voice, "We're trying to fix you up. You're gonna be just fine."

But what about Stef?

"Stef…" I rasp out tilting my head in the direction of the voice I just heard, "Where…"

"We're taking care of your mama," the same nurse voice says, "Don't you worry."

I'm so tired.

"Everything is going to be okay."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Callie<strong>_

_I can't believe I forgot._

_I'm a very conscientious person. I had to be, for Jude's sake if not for my own. I'm always on the look out for possible threats as well as back-up plans in case anything goes wrong. I'm aware of my surroundings and everyone in them. I can pick out details, like body language and tone of voice. _

_I'm a very conscientious person._

_So the fact that I forgot about a school assignment is baffling. It's for my photography class. I took the pictures and edited them and they were all set to go. I just never got around to printing them._

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

_I glance at my phone to check the time: 7:37. We finished with dinner a few minutes ago and it's Stef and Lena's night to clean up the kitchen—even more reason I don't want to bother them. Brandon is with his dad having dinner so it's not like I can ask him to drive me to the pharmacy to print the pictures._

_Damnit._

_Stef and Lena would never hurt me, I know that. I just don't want them to be angry with me. I'm sixteen years old and I'm responsible for myself. Maybe I should just hand in the assignment late? No. I can't afford any bad grades. Not while I'm on probation._

_Damnit._

_It takes me a while to build up the nerve to go down to the kitchen. I pause near the entrance. I hear Stef and Lena talking over the sounds of the sink running and dishes clinking together. Why did I have to forget?_

"_Callie?"_

_I snap out of my internal struggle at the sound of Lena's voice. She and Stef are now both turned away from the sink, looking at me expectantly. I dig my nails into my palms and slowly make my way to them. I bite down on my bottom lip and look down at my sneakers._

"_What's up, love?" Stef asks as she shuts off the faucet before turning around to completely face me. She always gives me and everyone else her undivided attention. It simultaneously makes me feel both important and small._

_I push some hair behind my ear, "I um…I forgot…" I let out a breath. "I'm sorry."_

_Lena raises an eyebrow, "For what, sweetheart?"_

_I lower my gaze, "My photography assignment is due tomorrow and I forgot to print it out." I mumble quickly._

"_Okay," Stef says in a happy-go-lucky tone, "Nothing to worry about. We can go print it now."_

_I sigh, "I'm really sorry," I begin to apologize, "I usually don't forget—"_

"_It's fine, Callie," Stef dismisses my remorse with a wave of her hand, "Let's not make this a habit, yes?" She gives me a wink and smiles._

"_Besides," Lena adds as she walks over to the fridge, "This is kind of perfect because we need a few things anyway." She tears off a sheet from the notepad that hangs on the fridge and hands it to Stef._

"_Please and thank you," she says and gives Stef a kiss on the cheek._

_Stef feigns annoyance but goes to grab her car keys, "Go get whatever you need and we'll leave." She tells me._

"_Bring a jacket with a hood," Lena advises as she gets back to the dishes, "It's supposed to start raining soon. I'm speaking to _both_ of you." She says, giving Stef a pointed look. Stef huffs and stalks off to go grab a jacket. I run up to my room to grab the Sim card from my camera, along with a jacket, my phone, and my wallet, and head downstairs._

_Stef is tucking the list into her purse when I reach her. She looks up at me and smiles, "Ready?" I nod._

"_Let's go."_

**Sorry it's short but this is just kind of setting the story up. It might be a bit confusing in the beginning but everything will clear up. Let me know what you think!**

**-Liv**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Italics denote a flashback.**

**Lena**

My legs feel as though they're on fire, but that doesn't make me slow down my pace. I navigate through the maze-like hallways of the now familiar hospital with urgent speed. I barely remember to glance over my shoulder occasionally to make sure I don't lose my four kids in the chaos.

How could this have happened?

We finally reach the reception area of the ER. I slap my hand down on the desk impatiently and get the attention of one of the nurses, "My wife and daughter," I begin in a shaky voice, "Were brought it. Stefanie Foster and Callie Jacob. Where are they?"

The nurse gives me a blank stare, "Ma'am, if you could just take a seat—"

"I need to know _now_!" I demand in a loud voice and in my peripheral vision I see my kids startle in surprise. "Their names are Stefanie Foster and—"

"You're here for Stefanie and Callie?"

I whirl around to locate the voice I just heard and see a doctor. He walks over to me and sticks out his hand, "My name is Dr. Morrison. You're here for Stefanie and Callie, correct?"

I nod furiously, "Yes, yes. Where are they? Are they okay?"

The doctor glances quickly at the children and then back at me. I can tell he wants to speak to me privately. He makes a discreet gesture of the head towards the ER.

I turn to the kids, "I'm going to go with Dr. Morrison and check on Mom and Callie. I need you guys to wait out here for me."

Jude looks up at me with tear filled eyes, "But…"

I shake my head and grasp his hands in mine, "It's okay, baby. I'll be right back." I turn to the older kids, "Brandon, please look out for everyone. I'll be back soon."

They nod wearily and begin to sink into chairs. Mariana has to tug on Jude's hand to make him sit. It wasn't too long ago we were in this same place.

Why did this happen?

With a final glance at the kids to make sure they're situated, I follow Dr. Morrison through the ER doors. We're barely a foot from the doorway when he begins speaking to me, "I need your help calming Callie down. She's a bit more lucid now and resisting treatment. I'm afraid she's going to make her injuries worse than they are."

He suddenly pushes open the door to a room and I see a swarm of nurses and doctors surrounding my daughter. There are two nurses—one on either side of her—holding her down by her shoulders along with another nurse at the foot of the bed holding down her legs. Two more nurses are working on her…or at least trying to.

Abruptly I'm aware of the pleas leaving my daughter's mouth.

"No!" Callie shrieks as she jerks her head away from the nurse who is trying to shine a flashlight in her eyes, "Get off me! Where's Stef? Where's my mom?!" She's arching off the bed and sweating from the effort of trying to free herself of the nurses. I can tell by her heavy breathing pattern that she's in pain.

One of the nurses sighs impatiently, "You need to calm down…"

"Let go of her!" I yell and everyone startles except for Callie who looks relieved to see me. She reaches out one of her hands towards me.

"Mama…" she cries desperately, breath hitching.

The nurses are frozen in place. Did they not hear me? "Let go of my daughter!" I yell again, walking closer. Dr. Morrison tries to put a hand on my shoulder but I shrug him off, "NOW!" The nurses scatter off to one side of the room. I quickly walk up to Callie and drop to my knees next to her bed.

My poor baby.

She has a cut near the start of her hairline that was mended with butterfly stitches. Her cheek is bruised and she has a cut on her lower lip that I believe was caused by her top two teeth. The way she is trying to keep her left arm immobile tells me its hurting her—either broken or sprained. Her eyes are red and wet and tears keep rolling down her cheeks.

She looks so scared.

"Oh, Callie." I sigh, trying to keep my own tears at bay for her sake. I take her good hand in mine and rest my palm on her cheek—she's trembling, "You're okay, baby. I'm here now. Mama's here."

"They won't tell me where Stef is," Callie tells me tearfully as her eyes can't seem to settle on a particular place, "They won't let me see her. Where is she?"

I rub my thumb lightly over her cheek, "I'm going to find out, sweetheart. But right now, I need you to be brave and let the doctors do their job. They need to fix you up."

Callie shakes her head stubbornly, "No, I want to see Stef!"

"Please, Callie," I whisper, leaning in closer, "Look into my eyes baby. Focus on me." I wait until her eyes settle on me. They're dilated with fear and uncertainty and I wish I could change that for her.

"I'm going to find Mom, okay? I'm going to make sure she's okay and then I'm going to come back and let you know how she is, okay?"

Callie nods but chokes out a sob, "I'm so sorry."

Why is she apologizing?

"Callie…"

"It _hurts_," she whimpers mournfully, more tears making their way down her cheek. In this moment, I would do _anything_ to trade places with her.

I unwind my scarf from around my neck. I press part of it in Callie's hand and allow the rest to bunch up near her face so she can smell my perfume on it. I press my lips lightly to her cheek before resting my forehead against her's.

"I'll be right back," I tell her again in a whisper so that she is forced to hang on my every word, "Let the doctor's do their work. Everything is going to be just fine." Callie nods a little and brings the scarf more up near her face. I kiss her one more time before standing up and walking over to the group of various hospital staff.

"Don't you _dare_ hold my child down like that again," I hiss my warning at them. They mumble and nod and get back to working on Callie, this time with much less trouble.

"Where's Stef?" I ask Dr. Morrison. He leads me out of the room and I'm expecting to follow him into a nearby room, but instead we keep on walking. Down the stark, cold hallway we continue to walk until we reach a set of doors to a new wing entirely.

The Intensive Care Unit.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Stef<strong>_

_Toothpaste, deodorant, cotton balls… I check my basket as I go over the list Lena gave me. I think I got everything. Satisfied, I walk over to the photo printing center where Callie is clicking through the different pictures that are on her sim card. Her talent still amazes me, even for as long as I've known her._

"_How are you doing, Sweets?" I ask, rubbing her back._

"_I almost got it," she answers in a semi-distracted tone, "Oh, here it is." She selects the photo as well as the size she needs and sets it to print. She turns around on the stool she's sitting on, "Did you get everything?"_

_I nod, "Yeah."_

_Callie raises an eyebrow, "Including the sponges Lena mentioned while we were walking out the door?"_

_Crap._

"_Nice catch," I tell Callie, playfully patting her cheek. She laughs and swats my hand away. I drop the basket near her feet, "I'll go grab the sponges and then we'll go pay, okay?" She nods and turns back to check on her picture._

_I walk down the aisles towards the cleaning area and begin to browse for sponges. Callie is such a good girl. I could tell earlier it absolutely killed her that she forgot about her assignment until so late. Normally, I would reprimand my children for not being responsible—particularly Jesus who forgets almost every assignment and then some—but this is Callie's first time forgetting anything and I'm so proud she had the courage to tell myself and Lena. It seems like such a small thing, but for Callie, that's huge._

_Maybe it's a good sign Callie forgot about her assignment. She's usually so alert and aware of everything going on around her, mainly so she knows how to protect herself. I think she feels safe now, so safe that she isn't stressing her every move and action._

_And that makes me happy._

_I grab a pack of sponges and walk back to the printing center where Callie is tucking her photos into an envelope. I toss the sponges into the basket before picking it up, "Ready, Callie?" She nods and we walk over to check out. I get on line and I see Callie walking over to a separate line._

_This child._

"_Callie, come here."_

_She obediently walks over and I immediately pluck the photos out of her hand. _

"_But Stef—"_

_I shake my head, "Nope."_

"_But I—"_

"_No."_

_Callie stands there for a moment and I can tell she's struggling with allowing me to pay for her. Six months with her and she still has these little moments of independence. Finally, she lets out a breath in silent acceptance. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and bring her close so I can kiss her forehead._

"_I love you, Callie."_

_She smiles up at me and my heart absolutely melts, "Love you, too."_

_We pay for everything and get them in bags. We each grab a few things and head out of the store. By now it's begun to drizzle. I tug Callie's hood over her head before pulling on my own. We make our way to the car at a fast pace and load everything into the back seat. I get into the driver's seat and Callie gets into the passenger side._

"_Rain is so gross," I mumble as I turn on the car and immediately put the heat on. Callie uses both of her hands to push her hood off before holding them over a vent._

"_I don't mind it," she comments, splaying her fingers out, "It's clean."_

"_Clean?"_

_She nods and offers no more explanation. I shrug to myself. I pull on my seatbelt and wait until Callie puts hers on as well. I shift the car into reverse and throw my hand over Callie's seat so that I can angle myself to check for any cars._

"_See any cars?" I ask Callie and she glances out her window._

"_No."_

_I back the car up and shift it into drive before pulling out of the parking lot._

**I'm so tired. You'd think college would mean sleeping in. Not for me. So I learned that you could watch the Foster's Christmas special on the ABC Family TV app a week earlier than it premieres. HECK YES. **

**I'm babysitting now (its 11:45 PM, been here pushing eight hours) and tomorrow I have to be up for work at 7 AM. Yay. I'll post this before work. This A/N is premature.**

'**Till the break of dawn yo,**

**-Liv**

**P.S.- It's now 8:40 AM. I wound up babysitting until 1 AM. I fell the fuck asleep at their kitchen table. Thank god the kid woke me up before his parents came home and saw me looking all incompetent. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Lena**

"Now I have to warn you," Dr. Morrison tells me, "What you see may be a bit shocking…"

I shake my head, "Yes, I know. Please, just bring me to Stef."

He nods and pushes open the doors of the ICU. We walk down yet another hallway until Dr. Morrison finally stops at a particular section, giving me the go ahead. I walk in and immediately I see Stef.

She looks awful.

She's unconscious. Her face is pale and there's gauze wrapped around her head, dipping near her left eyebrow. There are various cuts and bruises running down her arms. She's hooked up to a ventilator and a mask covers her nose and mouth. It's just like the time she was shot and I can't help the shivers that course through me.

"How is she?" I ask, Dr. Morrison, eyes never leaving Stef. I take one of her hands between mine—it's cold.

Dr. Morrison takes the chart from the end of the bed and flips it open, "Let's see…yes, the car that hit on Stefanie's side so she received the worst of the injuries. She fractured two ribs that in turn caused her lung to collapse. She also has some internal bleeding and a possible head injury. We wanted her to stabilize before we took her in for a CT scan as well as the surgery—"

"Surgery?" I interrupt in an alarmed tone.

He nods, "Yes, we need to release the pressure on her lung so that it can re-expand. Also we need to address the internal bleeding. Now, I don't want you to worry. Stefanie should be just fine. We just want to keep a close eye on her."

I nod. I trace a finger down Stef's face.

She doesn't move.

I take a deep breath, "When will the surgery take place?"

"A few hours," Dr. Morrison answers, "If your children would like to visit before then, they can come two at a time."

I lean down and press my lips to Stef's forehead, "I love you." I whisper, "Don't you dare give up on us." I straighten again and walk out of the room so that I can report back to Callie.

* * *

><p><strong>Callie<strong>

It's all my fault. It's all my fault. It's all my—

"Callie?"

I snap out of my thoughts to see Lena walking into my room. Tears come to my eyes without warning. Lena takes a seat on the bed and I scoot away from her. She gives me a confused look.

"Callie?"

My head hurts from where it hit the dashboard. My wrist is bound up tightly. My entire body aches. If I wasn't in so much pain, I would have left the hospital by now and gone somewhere Lena wasn't. She's going to _hate_ me.

It's all my fault.

Lena is still staring at me with so much concern. Hasn't she realized it by now? Why is she still here? She reaches out to put a hand on my arm and I scoot back even more.

Now she looks hurt and I feel a little bad. Her eyebrows are knit together in confusion, "Baby? What's wrong?"

I shake my head. I open my mouth to speak and all that comes out are sobs. She _has_ to understand. Why isn't she putting it together? Lena tries to pull me into a hug and I push her arms away. Not enough force to hurt, but enough force to stop her from what she wants to do.

Lena's eyes get glossy, "Callie, please, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

I sniffle, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, please." I don't know what else to say. It feels like someone is taking a jackhammer to my head. I curl up on my side, facing away from Lena, and hold my head in my good hand. I squeeze my eyes shut and will my brain to SHUT UP. I just want to sleep and never wake up.

I want to disappear.

Lena's scarf is still on the bed from earlier and I press my face into it. She doesn't realize she's mad at me yet and just having her scarf near me makes me feel a little better. I feel the bed dip a bit and I can tell Lena is lying down next to me. I feel her begin to rub my back and I try to move away but there's nowhere else to go so I'm forced to just let her continue her ministrations.

"Stef is going to be just fine."

Stef…

I turn around so that I can face Lena fully, "Stef?"

She nods, "Dr. Morrison said she should be just fine. She's going to have surgery in a few hours—"

My heart plummets. I think my face reflects it because Lena reaches out a hand to grasp mine, "Listen to me," she says, "Mom is strong. She's not going anywhere. She's going to pull through, don't you worry." She says it with so much conviction that I want to believe her, but I know better.

It's all my fault.

"Your brothers and sister are in the waiting room," Lena continues and I suck in a breath. They're going to hate me.

It's all my fault.

"I'm sure they'd love to see you."

I shake my head a little, "No." They don't want to see me. They don't want to see the person who hurt their mom.

Lena lets out a sigh, "What's going on up there, hm?" she asks, gently tracing my forehead, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Lena." I say again, "I'm so sorry."

Lena shakes her head in confusion, "I don't understand, Callie. Why are you apologizing?"

I turn away from her and close my eyes, "Because it's all my fault." I whisper.

* * *

><p><strong>Callie<strong>

"_I find it hard to believe you don't have a favorite radio station."_

_I shrug, "I don't really listen to radio. What do you listen to?"_

_Stef drums her fingers on the steering wheel, "Let's see…well I like the music from when I was around your age…"_

_I grin cheekily, "You mean the Oldies?"_

_Stef glares at me playfully and swats my thigh, "No, you whipper snapper, not the _oldies_. I'm not ancient, you know."_

"_I know." I look out the window as we drive through the neighborhood. "I like ABBA, the Bee Gees, Billy Joel…" I trail off._

"_Have you ever seen Mamma Mia?"_

"_No."_

_Stef gasps in mock horror, "Are you serious? A musical written to go with ABBA songs and you haven't seen it? That's a crime! Movie night, this Friday. You _need_ to watch it."_

"_How do you know I'm not going to some party Friday night?" I ask skeptically as well as teasingly, "I _am_ a sixteen year old girl in high school."_

_We pull up to a stop light and Stef turns to me with a small smile, "Because I know you, my love, and you use the weekend to have quiet time. You like having time to yourself."_

_It's weird to have someone who knows me so well. It's also nice to have someone who understands how I feel about certain things because it saves me the trouble of having to pretend to be a certain way when I don't want to. The light turns green and Stef begins to cross the intersection._

_It suddenly gets really bright in the car. I see two lights heading towards us and they're coming fast. My eyes widen, "STEF!"_

_She turns to look at me, her face full of horror, and then it all goes black._

**Thank you for the reviews! You guys are so kind :) **

**I am swamped with work. For me, sleeping in is sleeping until 7:30 AM. What a time to be alive.** **Tomorrow I'm going to see Mockingjay Part 1. I'm very excited! I'm also excited for Thanksgiving because home and food and friends.**

**Ladies, gentlemen and others, it seems there is somebody on the prowl among us leaving rude reviews. My fellow writers, please ignore them! All of the kind, thoughtful reviews you receive are carved in stone. The unkind, _thoughtless_ reviews are traced in sand. **

**Which one lasts longer? ;)**

**-Liv**


	4. Chapter 4

**Lena**

All her fault?

"Callie…"

"Ms. Jacob?"

I sit up as a woman walks into the room, a nurse. Callie remains curled up on her side but I see her trying to wipe away any evidence that she had been crying. The nurse sees me and raises an eyebrow, "Oh, you must be Callie's foster mother. We've notified her social worker of the situation.

My heart skips a beat, "W-what?"

The nurse waves her hand, "Nothing to worry about, just standard procedure for foster children. I'd like to discuss Callie's injuries with you. She has a concussion from when her head collided with the dashboard so we gave her some acetaminophen for the pain. We'll be monitoring her for the night. Callie also sprained her wrist. She has some scrapes and bruises—the most serious being the cut on her head but we took care of that. Like I mentioned before, we'd like to monitor her overnight because of the concussion but I don't see any reason why she can't go home tomorrow afternoon."

I let out a relieved breath, "Thank you, so much." The nurse nods and leaves the room. I look down at Callie who looks so small curled up on the bed. I put my hand on her back and as expected she flinches.

"I need to go check on your brothers and sister. Are you sure you don't want to see them?"

Callie nods weakly. I don't want to push her after what she's gone through and decide to let it be for now. "Okay," I say, "That's okay. I'll be back later on to check on you." I bend down to kiss her cheek and she shrinks away, "I love you, Cal."

Silence.

I walk out of the room and towards the reception area. I don't understand why she is so adamant about distancing herself from myself and the rest of the kids. I wish I knew what was going through her mind. And what was she apologizing for?

The second I step into the waiting room, all of the kids shoot to their feet.

"Are they okay?" Jesus asks immediately.

I nod and everyone visibly relaxes, "The worst of Callie's injuries are a sprained wrist and a concussion. They're keeping her overnight but she should be home by tomorrow afternoon." Now comes the tough part, "Mom has it a little worse because the car hit her side. She has some internal bleeding and her lung collapsed so she's going to have surgery in a few hours. The doctor just wants to make sure she's stable before taking her in. She should be just fine after that." I assure them.

"Can we see them?" Mariana asks in a small voice, her brown eyes wet with unshed tears.

I nod, "Mom can only have two people in her room so I'll take you guys one by one."

"What about Callie?" Jude asks, "Can we see her?"

I grimace, "Um, Callie isn't really up for visitors right now." Jude visibly deflates, "She's just tired and uncomfortable. I'm sure she'll want to see you guys soon." He nods, but I can tell he isn't happy about it.

"Can we see mom at least?" Brandon asks quietly.

I nod and take his hand, "Yes. I'll take you now. Some of you will have to wait in the hallway, okay? We'll take turns."

Everyone nods or mumbles—Mariana stands between Jesus and Jude. She's holding each of their hands desperately. Jesus looks mad and Jude looks so small. They shouldn't have to go through this again; we've barely just recovered from Stef getting shot and now we're basically back in the same situation.

I grip Brandon's hand tightly in my own, mostly for my own sake than for his. He squeezes my hand in response and smiles at me weakly. I give a small smile in return and lead the way to the ICU.

* * *

><p><strong>Callie<strong>

I need to get out of here.

The nurse already talked to Bill. It's only a matter of time before he talks to Lena and I get sent away. I sit up and immediately drop my head into my hands. The nurse gave me some medication but I still have a killer headache. Once everything stops spinning, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and place my feet on the ground. My legs won't seem to stop shaking. I use the bed as support and slowly stand up.

The entire room rocks.

I close my eyes for a moment and just try to concentrate on remaining upright. When I don't think I'm going to fall over anymore, I slowly make my way over to the wall opposite the bed. My shoes and jacket are there. I shove my feet in and don't bother to tie the laces because I'm too tired. I pull my jacket on.

I need to get out of here.

I walk to the door and take a deep breath before peeking out into the hallway. There are a few nurses and patients, but no one I recognize as having seen me earlier. I look down at my clothes. They're a little crumpled and there are a few bloodstains. I zip up my jacket to hide them. I spot an Exit sign near the end of the hallway and I know that's how I'll get out.

I just need to get to the house, grab a few things, and then I'll be on my way.

I pause and collect myself for a minute before walking into the hallway and straight for the exit. I walk as fast as I can considering how dizzy and sore I am. I try to appear as someone who isn't a patient.

"Hey!"

I continue to walk towards the exit, ignoring the call from behind me even though a gnawing feeling in my stomach tells me they're talking to me.

"Ms. Jacob!"

I pick up the pace even though my entire body protests it. I _need_ to get out of here; I _need_ to.

"Ms. Jacob, stop!"

I feel someone grab my upper arm and I try to pull away but I'm not exactly at my strongest, "Get off of me!" I recognize the woman as one of the nurses who treated me earlier.

"You can't leave the hospital. You need to go back to your room."

I pull at her wrist and try to tug my arm away, "Get off!"

"Callie…"

"No!"

I can tell the nurse is getting frustrated. There are a couple of nurses in the vicinity who have stopped and one nurse in particular is standing only a few feet away. He grabs something off a cart and walks towards us.

He has a syringe.

"No! No!" I scream, trying desperately to get away. I don't want to hurt the nurse, but I don't want whatever's in that needle and I'll do everything to make sure I don't get injected, "Get away from me!"

The nurse who's holding me turns around to see what I'm looking at and shakes her head, "We can't sedate her; she has a concussion." The nurse with the syringe nods and puts it back. I relax a little, but I'm still trying to get away.

"Would you like me to go get your mom?" the woman nurse asks sympathetically.

I still, "Stef?"

She shakes her head apologetically, "No, your mama. If you come back to your room, she can take you to see your mom before her surgery."

I bite my lip. I want to make sure Stef is okay, but I don't want to see Lena. She _must_ have realized by now. My concern out weighs my fear and I look the nurse in the eyes, "I want to see Stef."

She nods, "Okay. Let's go back to your room and we can make that happen." She loosens her grip on my arm and waits for me to make a move. I take a step in the direction of my room and begin to walk. The nurse lets go of my arm and walks besides me.

She tenderly rubs my back, "Good girl."

* * *

><p><strong>Callie<strong>

_Ouch. _

_I blink. At first all I see is black. I blink again. My face feels wet. I think it's water. I try to move my hand to wipe it off, but I can't. It hurts too much. _

_What happened?_

_I try to move and I find that I can't. I look down and see that I'm strapped in by my seatbelt. Wait, seatbelt…?_

_Stef!_

_I turn to look at her and she's unconscious. Her face is red and slick with blood. Oh God. I press the button on my seatbelt but it's jammed. I begin to tug with my good hand. It takes about a minute but I finally get it free. I push the seatbelt off and scoot closer to Stef._

"_Stef," I say, and my voice comes out in no more than a whisper. I swallow hard and try again, but louder, "Stef, wake up."_

_She's not moving._

_I reach out my hand and rest it gently on her shoulder, "Stef." Knowing she's not going to wake up any time soon, I figure my best bet is to get some help. What happened to the car that hit us? Are the people in there okay? _

_I pull on the door handle but it won't budge. I push against the door with all my weight but I'm not making much headway. All of a sudden, different colored lights invade my vision and I have to squint._

_Red and blue and white._

_I hear the blares of sirens and the engines of trucks. There's a knocking at the window and I startle. There's a firefighter right outside my window._

"_Can you get out?" he asks in a loud voice so that I can hear through the glass. I shake my head, "Don't worry. We're going to help you."_

"_My mom," I tell him frantically, "She's not moving. You have to get her out. "_

_He nods, "We will, don't you worry." He moves away from the window and I vaguely hear him barking out orders. I scoot closer to Stef and put my hand on her cheek._

"_It's going to be okay," I whisper to her, "We're getting some help." I rest lean my forehead on her shoulder and let my eyes slip closed. Whatever energy I had upon waking up has been spent up and I'm finding it hard to stay awake._

"_Hold on, Mom."_

**Happy Thanksgiving guys! It's good to be home and to sleep in and to have some alone time. Sorry I can't update as often but finals are upon us. Don't worry, soon I'll be off from school for a month and then I can write as much as I want!**

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and your support. They make me so happy :) If it's snowing by you stay warm! **

**Until next time,**

**-Liv**


	5. Computer Trouble

Hi guys. I'm sorry I haven't updated. Let me explain why.

My computer started experiencing some problems late Friday night. They were minor problems, so I did not think much of it. Saturday morning my computer had stopped working completely. No matter what I did, I could not access my desktop. I spent five hours with a friend trying to fix it and he couldn't do anything for me. Today, I went to Apple and found out the problem. Apparently, when my computer was updating itself, a partition greyed (I believe that's the phrase the man used) and therefore locked my recovery disk. My only options were to either pay over $100 just to extract what I needed and then reinstall software, or completely wipe the computer. I couldn't afford to pay over $100, so I let them wipe it.

I lost the chapters I had written for my stories. I also lost my class notes and three final papers that are due this week. Right now, rewriting these papers are my priority so please bare with me if I can't update for a bit. I'm _very_ upset about what happened and about losing everything on my computer, as you can imagine. Please understand that I need to sort out my school work before worrying about my stories.

Thank you,

Olivia


	6. Chapter 6

**Lena**

I take the kids in one by one to see Stef. I wish I could give them each more time with her, but she needs to get prepped for surgery within the hour or so. I would also imagine the kids are exhausted at this point.

Jude holds in his tears.

Mariana cries.

Brandon tells Stef to be strong.

Jesus doesn't say anything at all.

Watching their faces fall when they take in their mother's appearance, listening to the hitch in their breath as they realize she won't respond…it's too much. I wish Stef would open an eye, move a finger—anything to let us know she's okay. The kids are waiting in the hall and I'm sitting next to Stef, holding her hand.

"The kids are so worried," I tell her in a quiet tone, "I'm trying to keep it together for their sake, but it's hard. I keep telling them you'll be just fine…you _have _to be."

She doesn't say anything, obviously.

"Mama?"

I turn around and see Brandon standing alongside a nurse. I stand up and silently tell him to go back into the hall before crossing my arms and facing the nurse, "Yes?"

"Mrs. Adams-Foster, I'm sorry to interrupt but do you think it would be possible for you to come speak with Callie? She's very agitated with the idea of saying in the hospital overnight and attempted to leave…"

My eyes widen, "She _what?_"

The nurse nods apologetically, "We told her that if she returned to the room, you could take her to see her mother."

I press a hand over my eyes. _Callie_. I open my eyes again, "Okay, thank you. I'll go see her now."

The nurse smiles and walks away. I walk a bit down the hall to where the kids are huddled, no doubt wondering what I was talking to the nurse about.

"Is everything okay?" Brandon asks as soon as I'm close enough.

I smile as much as I can at this point, "Everything is fine. Brandon, can you take everyone home please?"

"But what about Mom and Callie?" Mariana asks worriedly, "What if…" she doesn't finish but I have a feeling as to where she's going.

"I'll be here," I assure her and everyone else, "They'll be just fine." I dig my keys out of my purse and hand them to Brandon. He takes them, albeit reluctantly, "You guys don't have to go to school tomorrow," I continue, although I think they figured this out, "Just focus on getting your rest."

"We'll be back in the morning," Jesus says firmly, "First thing."

I nod, "I know you guys will." I give everyone an extra tight hug and a kiss before sending them on their way.

* * *

><p><strong>Brandon<strong>

I unlock the doors to Lena's car and hop into the driver's seat. The rain has stopped at this point, thankfully. Jesus hops into the passenger seat and Mariana and Jude get into the back. I start the car and from the rearview mirror and I see Jude jump.

"Seatbelts." I say simply and nobody argues.

I put one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear stick. I take a deep breath.

"Be careful." Mariana pleads quietly from the back seat.

I turn around to face her and Jude, "We're going to be fine. So is Callie and so is Mom, okay?" I try to smile but I imagine it looks pretty weak.

Mariana nods and grips Jude's hand.

I turn back around in my seat. After checking that everyone has their seatbelt on for the fourth time and making sure no cars are coming, I shift into reverse and slowly pull out of the parking spot.

"We'll be okay."

* * *

><p><strong>Lena<strong>

I walk quietly walk into Callie's room. She's lying on her side and her eyes are closed, but I don't think she's asleep. Her shoes and jacket are still on. I can see a blood stain on one of the sleeves that makes my stomach turn. I walk to the foot of the bed and begin the process of pulling her shoes off. Her eyes immediately fly open and she tries to jerk her foot away but I hold her ankle.

"It's just me," I say gently, "Relax." I remove both her shoes and toss them to the floor. I feel Callie's eyes on me as I move about. I take my own shoes off as well and put my purse on the chair next to the bed. I climb in next to Callie and pull the blanket with me so that I cover us both. Callie has yet to turn around to face me so I'm forced to look at her back.

"A nurse told me you tried to leave the hospital," I begin lightly, reaching out to put my hand on Callie's back. I feel her stiffen at my words, "What's going on, Callie?"

_Silence_.

Seeing no other option, I scoop Callie up into my arms and force her to turn around. She immediately tries to pull away but she must underestimate how strong I am.

"Let me go!" she finally yells as she continues to wiggle around.

"Not until you tell me what's going on." I say in a determined voice. Callie presses her lips together stubbornly and continues to pull away from me.

I sigh, "Honey, this can't feel good with your injuries."

"Then get the hell OFF!" Callie yells as she continues to turn away from me, "Why can't you just leave me alone?" Her voice is cracking and I know she won't be able to hold it together any longer. She half-heartedly tries to head-butt me and I easily dodge her.

"_Hey_!" I say in a warning tone, "You need to calm down!"

Callie lets out an exasperated cry and goes limp in my arms. She's breathing heavily and by the way her breaths hitch every so often I can tell she's on the verge of tears. I wait patiently as Callie gets her breathing under control.

"It kills me that you're hurting like this," I tell her after some time has passed, "You've been off all night. How come?"

Callie sniffs but doesn't say a word.

"Earlier you said it was all your fault. What did you mean by that?" I ask, genuinely curious, "I hope you don't mean the accident, Callie, because this was _not_ your fault."

She shakes her head woefully, "Yes, it was."

"Callie—"

"She should have never been in the car tonight!" Callie argues, turning to face me, "She only got in the car because of me! _I'm_ the one who was stupid and forgot my project. _Me_. It was dangerous on the road. She _knew_ that, but she still got in the car and she got into an accident and now she's gone!" There are tears streaming down her cheeks at this point and I realize something.

Callie isn't talking about Stef anymore; she's talking about Colleen.

I want to beat myself up for not pushing Callie to talk more about her mom with her therapist or us. She had mentioned Colleen the day of Frank's funeral, but never again. We didn't bring it up and neither did she. Clearly, this was a mistake.

I take Callie's face in my hands and wipe her tears away with my thumbs, "Callie, I know if your mom could, she would come back in a heartbeat. She loved you and Jude so, _so _much."

"She was _stupid_!" Callie yells harshly as she jerks her head out of my hold, "She got into the car with a drunk. She was stupid and so was Stef, and now I have to…she's going to leave and I can't Lena, I _can't_." She drops her head into her hands and takes deep, shuddering breaths. Once again, I pull her into my arms and this time she is either too tired to fight or finally willing to listen. She buries her face in my sweater and I feel the tremors running through her body. I rub my hand up and down her back as she cries her frustration and fear and whatever else has been eating away at her.

"Callie, baby," I say once she's quieted down a bit, "Mom and I would never leave you or the other kids willingly. It's scary knowing that bad things could happen to us. If it's not a car accident it could be cancer, or a gun or—"

"_Mama_." Callie whimpers as she shakes her head to herself.

I lift her chin with my finger, "I know it's scary," I say again, "But that's life. It's unpredictable. We can't live assuming the worst. We live to our full extent; we enjoy everyday."

"I can't," Callie says desperately, raising her tear-filled eyes to meet mine, "Knowing the things I've seen…knowing how things work out for people like _me_—"

"I know it's not easy," I assure her, "But you have to try. I worry about Mom every time she leaves the house; same with you kids. But I can't let that consume me. I won't."

Callie swallows hard and nods. She fixes her grip on my sweater before mumbling out a plaintive, "I'm sorry."

I kiss her head, "I love you, Callie. Do you want to see Mom before her surgery?"

She perks up at this, "Yes, please."

I sit up and pull Callie with me. I use my thumbs to wick away the last of her tears, "Mom might look a little scary when we go see her."

Callie nods resolutely, "Okay."

"I'll be there the whole time."

She smiles weakly, "Alright."

I pull my shoes back on, "It's okay if you have to leave or—"

"_Mama_." Callie interrupts with a small smile, "I'll be okay."

I wish it were under better circumstances but I love that Callie has begun to call me Mama, even if she's not consistent. It means she trusts me and sees me more than just a state-appointed foster mother. It might not be official on paper but it sure feels official to me. I wait for Callie to finish putting her shoes back on before holding out my hand.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

**I'm back! Sorry for the tremendous wait. My Apple products have been giving me crazy trouble. I have a USB for my documents now. I don't trust my computer or phone…**

**The Fosters premieres tonight! Season 2B! I'm so pumped. I go back to school on Sunday. This vacation was long and busy. I'm kind've happy to go back to school.**

**I love you all, sorry again for the wait.**

**-Liv**


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: The italics are a memory**_

**Jude**

I'm walking through the house trying to find something to do. It's late—_really_ late—but I can't shut my brain off and go to sleep. I walk down the hallway and see the light in Mariana and Callie's room on. I look inside and see Mariana going through Callie's drawers.

"What are you doing?"

Mariana jumps a looks up at me. She puts a hand on her chest, "Geeze, Jude. You scared me." She went back to digging through the drawers, "I'm getting clothes for Callie to change into. Hers are probably covered in blood and stuff." She carries a shirt over to bag she has open on Callie's bed and places it inside.

"Oh," I say, "Good idea. Do you think Lena will want clothes, too?"

Mariana nods, "Probably. I was going to get some clothes for her next. Want to help?"

"Sure."

We head down the hall to Stef and Lena's bedroom. It's weird being in here, considering everything that's happened. Mariana begins going through the dresser and I look in the closet. Together we're able to get an outfit together for Lena. Mariana sets the clothes on top of the dresser and turns around. She has a sort of sad look on her face as she looks at Stef and Lena's bed. She walks over to it and places her hands on the duvet.

"I think I'm gonna sleep in here tonight," she says quietly, "I just…" she trails off and shrugs.

"I get it," I say, and I do, "You want to feel close."

She smiles, "Yeah." She begins to push back the covers and get into the bed.

I look at the door and back at bed. I grip the bottom of my tee shirt, "Would it be okay…if I, you know…"

"Of course, Judicorn!" Mariana says, scooting over, "Get in here!" I smile and crawl under the blankets.

"Dude, you know she kicks like a donkey, right?" We look up to see Jesus lazily leaning against the doorframe.

Mariana narrows her gaze, "I do _not_."

"First hand experience says otherwise," Jesus replies. He swan dives onto the bed and lands right on top of us, "Didn't know we were having a sleepover."

"Get OFF," Mariana says, swatting him repeatedly on the arm, "We're sleeping in here tonight."

Jesus gets under the blankets so that I'm between the twins, "I'm in," he says. I expect Mariana to say something about how he's annoying her but she doesn't. She actually looks pretty relieved. Sometimes I forget that Jesus and Mariana were in foster care, too. They were bounced around just like Callie and me. At times, they were all each other had.

"Sick invite, guys." Brandon jokes as he comes into the room. He gets into the bed next to Jesus. We're packed in a little tight but I love it. It feels familiar.

"Try not to kick us, Mariana," Brandon says as he switches off a lamp.

Mariana scoffs, "I do NOT kick!" Mariana argues again, "Jesus snores!"

"Do not!"

"Yes you do!" I chime in, "You sound like an eighteen wheeler."

Mariana giggles. Jesus reaches for me, "Maybe if I give you a wet willie, you won't hear it anymore."

"Gross!" I groan as I try to move away, but there isn't a lot of room to begin with.

"Give him a wet willie and you sleep on the floor," Brandon warns, eyes closed as he tried to sleep.

Jesus gives me an 'I'm watching you' point and settles onto the bed. We all shift around until we're comfortable and then it gets quiet.

"I set my alarm for nine so we can get to the hospital at a decent time," Brandon mentions.

"Good." Jesus says. Normally he would be complaining about how early that is but the circumstances are different.

Mariana yawns, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"'Night."

"Goodnight."

It's silent for maybe two minutes.

"Jesus, get your ice feet away from me!"

"I'm not even next to you! It's probably Jude."

"But I have socks on."

Brandon groans, "Shut. Up."

"I think Brandon needs a wet willie…"

Brandon whacks Jesus with a pillow and Mariana and I laugh.

I really love this family.

* * *

><p><strong>Callie<strong>

I grip Lena's hand tightly within my own as we enter Stef's room. It's quiet—just like the rest of the ICU. The only sounds are the steady beeping of monitors and the air circulating through Stef's breathing mask. I bite my lip and look up at Lena, lost as to what I should do. She nudges me towards the bed.

"Talk to her."

I walk slowly towards the bed, trying to be super quiet. It's stupid, since Stef won't wake up, but still. I take a seat in the chair next to her bed. She doesn't like Stef. The Stef I know is loud and strong and full of life and love. This Stef looks weak.

Practically dead.

I look up at Lena, who is leaning on the wall near the door, "Can I touch her?" She nods affirmatively. I reach for Stef's hand and hold it between my own. It's cold. I rub it carefully to warm it up.

"Hi," I whisper, "It's Callie. I wanted to see you before your surgery." I bite my lip, unsure of what to say next. How do I know if Stef can hear me or not? I'm probably just wasting my time. I look at Lena again who gives me an encouraging smile and gestures with her hand that I should continue.

I sigh and look back at Stef who's expression remains unchanged and blank. I look down at out intertwined hands, "I'm so sorry," I say quietly, "I'm sorry that this happened. I wish I could change the past few hours." I rest my forehead on our hands and close my eyes, "Please don't die," I plead in a nearly soundless whisper, "Please don't leave me."

* * *

><p><strong>Stef <strong>

_It seems that whenever I have the opportunity to sleep in, I'm the first to wake up. I have the day off, I'm not on call, and yet I'm awake at seven in the morning. I look at Lena who is fast asleep, hogging the blankets and part of my pillow._

_My love._

_I carefully slip out of bed and head down the hallway. I like to peek in on the kids while they're asleep. I checked on them when I came in late last night, but I want to check again. I check on Brandon. I check on Jesus and Jude who is relatively new to us. He's different from his sister, although he has similar mannerisms. He's quiet; reserved. I wish Bill had told us about him. I can only imagine how Callie was feeling knowing he was alone in that god awful home. It would be like separating Jesus and Mariana—I couldn't even fathom. I move onto the girl's room and see Mariana but no Callie._

_Hm._

_Her bed is made but I see her bag so she didn't leave. Maybe she got up early, too. I head downstairs and peek into the living room. Callie is sitting on the floor, back against the couch with her legs spread out in front of her. She's reading a book. She immediately senses my presence and snaps her head up. She closes the book and drops it into her lap. She stares at me with an impenetrable gaze._

"_Good morning," I say quietly, walking over slowly, "You're up early."_

"_Sorry."_

_I shake my head, "No need to apologize. I'm up early, too." I take a seat on the floor across from her and she pulls in her legs to her chest, clasping them close with her arms, "What are you reading?"_

_Callie bites her lip, "I found it on the bookshelf. I was just looking at it…"_

"_That's okay," I say kindly, "May I?" she holds the book out to me and I look at the cover, "__One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest__. This is Lena's book. I've never read it, but I saw the movie. Is it the same?"_

_Callie shakes her head but doesn't offer anything else. She rubs at her eyes and I can see that she's tired but yet she's sitting down here. Maybe something was keeping her up? I stand up and hold out my hand. Callie eyes it suspiciously. I wiggle my fingers, "Come on, I don't bite."_

_She looks down at her knees, thinking, before taking my hand and allowing me to help her up. I have her sit on the couch and grab the blanket from the back of it. She watches, fascinated, as I fling it over her and tuck it around her. I settle down next to her and put on the T.V., turning down the volume until it is low, but high enough for us to here._

"_There's never anything good on T.V. this early in the morning," I mutter to myself as I flip through the channels, "Oh, look at that. Full House is on. Do you know I'm so old I actually remember when there were new episodes on and not just reruns? That's ridiculous." I look over at Callie and she has a small smile on her face, "Do you want to watch this?"_

_Callie shrugs, "It doesn't matter."_

"_Of course it does," I say, "You matter and your opinion matters. I like knowing what you're thinking."_

_She furrows her eyebrows at me before her features soften and she nods, "I like Full House."_

"_Good," I say, setting the remote down, "Then we'll watch it and you can catch up on your sleep because quite honestly, Sweets? You look exhausted."_

_Callie looks surprised, as though I shouldn't have noticed how tired she was, but nods once again and settles down. I watch Full House and Callie watches me until exhaustion takes over and she drifts off to sleep._

* * *

><p><strong>Lena<strong>

Callie is fast asleep in her hospital bed. The nurse has to give her a sedative because she couldn't fall asleep but her body really needed the rest. I'm sitting next to her bed, running my hands through her hair as she sleeps. Even in her slumber she looks so troubled. Stef was taken into surgery almost immediately after we left her room. Part of the reason Callie couldn't sleep was because she was so worried.

That was almost two hours ago.

"Mrs. Adams Foster?"

I look away from Callie to see Dr. Morrison walking into the room. I stand up and meet him halfway, "How's Stef?"

"She's good," he answers and I let out a sigh of relief as my shoulders visibly lose their tension, "We were able to stop the internal bleeding and treat the collapsed lung. She has a concussion that we're monitoring closely. She also has a number of minor injures—bruises and what not—but she'll be just fine. She's asleep right now but she should be awake in a couple of hours. Then we'll take it from there."

I shake his hand gratefully, "Thank you so much." I say.

He smiles and leaves the room quietly. I go back over to Callie and kiss her cheek, "Did you hear that?" I whisper in her ear, "Mom is just fine. We're all going to be just fine."

**Thank you for the reviews! I'm going to try to update once every week. It's difficult managing three stories, school work, and three jobs. I think I can manage one update a week for every story.**

**I'm excited for the next episode of the Fosters! Anyone see the photos for it? Why is Callie standing in a lake fully clothes? Hmm…**

**Until next time,**

**Liv**


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